dixon



' (No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 1.

J. W. DIXON. APPARATUS FOR GONUBNTRATING LIQUIDS. N0. 391,458.

H E H Patented 001:. 23, 1888.

A N m m WITNESSES: Q7

4 Sheets-Sheet; 2.

J. W. DIXON. v I APPARATUS FOR OONGENTRATING LIQUIDS. No. 891,458. v Pawn- 19 3 23, 1888.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. W. DIXON.

APPARATUS FOR GONOENTRATING LIQUIDS.

No. 391,458. I Patentd Oct; 23, 1888.

WI TN ESS ES:

INVENTO'R'.

, 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. W.. DIXON. APPARATUS FOR OONGEN TRATING LIQUIDS. No. 891,458.

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 23, 1888.

INVEN'TOR:

WITNESSES: 728% a i To all whom it may concern..-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN w. DIXON, OF PHILADELPHIA, rnnnsrfnvnnm.

APPARATUS O coNc'EN'mATme Lleulns.

' srncrrrcnrron forming part of Letters Pa ama-"sauna, dated October zaisas.

Application'filedFebruary-11,1888. Seria.l Mascaras. (No model.) 'f p I Be it-known that I, JOHN w. DIXoN, a citizen of the United States,-and a resident of I Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus-for Concentrating Liquids, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact ,de-

scription, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part hereof.-

The nature of my invention willfully ap- -pear from the following specification and claims.

It has for its object the concentration of liquids in recovering from them matters held in solution thereinsuch as recovering the soda held in solution in the waste liquors resulting from the processof reducing wood to paperpulp. Its office is that of a concentrator, and

' the true heads of the cylinder. These supple-.

it can be used for reducing liquids of any description; 1

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device, showing a series ofthree cylinders connected by pipes. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a side elevation; Fig. 4, a longitudinal vertical sectional viewof one of the cylinderswith its immediate connec-- tions, other 4 ground.

parts being shown in the back- A B G are three closed cylinders, each successive cylinder being located slightly lower than its predecessor, A being the highest and C the lowest; D, a nest of pipes with which each cylinder is provided. A description of the internal structure in one cylinder willsuffice for all three. This nest of pipes D is set from end to end in the true heads D D of the cylinder,-(see Fig. 4,) leaving a vapor-space, E, above them. A supplemental partial head, F F, is set on each end of each cylinder,closing against the truehead immediately above the points at whichthe pipes D pass through mental heads thus form spaces F F between the ends of pipes D and the heads F F.

G is a conduit or pipe leading from the front lowerpart of cylinder A to the front lower part of cylinder B. G is a similarpipe from the rear lower part of cylinder 13 to the rear lower part of cylinder 0. These pipes G and G" communicate with the interior of the respective cylinders inside the true heads as mentioned above.

- thereof and convey'the liqnor under treat-' ment from one cylinder to the'next in the series. -The Fig. 4 is cylinder 0.

H isa pipe passing from cylinder shown in sectional view in the front lower interior liq nor-space of cylinder 0 to carry the reduced liqnor off.

- H is a small suction-pump on pipe H to draw the reduced liquor through pipe H.

I is a-pipe for supplying the liquor to' the back rear interior liquor-space of cylinder A. It enters through the lowenshell of this cylinder. This pipe .is provided with a regulating-valve, I, to control the flow of-liquor.

I is a liquor-supply pipe entering the upper part or 'the'head of a small :open receptacle 1". l r i I The pipe I passes from the lower part of re ceptacle I, carrying the liquor to cylinder A, The object of this open receptacle is to enable the operator to regulate the feed of liquor or the flow from the main tank or reservoir. (Not shown.) Pipe 1 communicates with the lower part of this tank.-m.

5 1 is a iloat with a lever-arm attached at one end to a valve on pipe I. As the float tain a supply equal to the flow. The float is an ordinary, device well known to mechanics, and requires no special description. It is outlined in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

-J J is a steam-pipe set along'the rear ends of the cylinders, and communicating with' each one through supplemental heads F into the space between the rear true and supplemental heads of the cylinders.

J J' J are steam-regulatingvalves.

J is a steam-pipe connecting headsF F of cylinders B C, to carry steam from one cylinder to the other.

liquor in the. cylinder 0.

L L L are vacuum-gages'to indicate thevac- K is a glass indicator to show the height of uum in columns or upright chambers M M M and in the cylinders.- These chambers open below through the upper parts of the shells of cylinders A B G into the vapor-spaces above the level of .the liquor therein, :and are themselves vapor-cha'mbers. v

N is a long pipe set transversely of the series of cylinders, and connects by short branch pipes N N N with the upper interiors of the chambers M M M, respectively. Pipe N is closed at both ends, and a pipe, 0, leads from it to 'thecond'enser P, which latter is of the ordinary well-known form.

P is a suction-pump, upon which the condenser is set and which draws the vapors from all the cylinders, taking off the atmospheric pressure and producing a vacuum therein.

Q, Figs. 3 and 4., are drip-cocks to carry off 'the condensation of steam.

The operation is as follows: The valve I is opened and the liquor in receptacle 1" is al-' lowedto flow through pipe I to the cylinder A, whence it enters cylinder B through pipe G, and flows to cylinder 0 through pipe G..

These cylinders are thus gradually supplied with liquor rising up therein. The vacuum- .pump P is then started to produce the necessary vacuum'in chambers M M M-say a vacuum .of twentyto twenty-eight inches-this vacuum being the same in the cylinders. When the liquor gets to the height of the nest of pipes in cylinder 0, it will be shown in the indicator K. The level will then be relatively about the same in the other two cylinders. In cylinder A it will be higher, and of an intermediate but relatively the same height in cylinder B. It will be higher at A, because it is highly heated and is lighter, being at the boiling-point as it comes from the tank, and the vacuum will cause ebullition and a rising up of the mass of liquor. It will be slightly lower in cylinder B, because the liquor will have lost part of its heat and will be heavier through partial concentration, and it will be at the point before named in cylinder 0. The steamvalves J J are then opened and valve J is allowed to remain closed. The steam will then fill all the end steam-spaces in the cylinders B G and the interiors of the pipes. or tubes forming the nests of closed pipes. The steamvalves J J are then opened and valve J" is allowed to remain closed. The steam will then fill all the end steam-spaces in the cyli'nde'rsB C and the interiors of the pipes or tubes forming thenests of pipes. Thepump H is then started to drawofi' the concentrated or reducedliquonand the valve 1 is regulated to supply the cylinders with liquor and keep' the latter at the desired level, just covering the pipes D, regard being had to the evaporation and the quantity drawn out by pump H. The vapors will be drawn ofi through the pipes N O to the condenser P by the vaouum-pumpP.

. If, as is designed, the liquor ent'ers oylinderA introduction is of a lowtemperature the valve J maybe opened to heat the end spaces and tubes of cylinder A to bring liquor up to'the requisite temperature. The vacuum produced in the cylinders and in chambers M permits the liquor to evaporate at a very low temperature, depending upon thevacuum maintained. One great advantage of treating the liquor -under a low'temperature, which the vacuum enables me to do, is that in the case of alkaline li'quors mixed with vegetable matter the excessive foaming resulting from treating it under a high heat is avoided. The vacuum is ascertained by the gages L and by a gage (not shown) on the pump P; As the vaporpipe N connects equally with each chamber M,

out all thechambers and'cylinders. About an equal steam heat in the tubes and end-spaces of thecylinders is preserved by the connections of pipe J with the steam-spaces in each cylinder. The steam will be condensed by the time it passes from its point 55 introduction through nests of pipes in the cylinder, and the condensation will be carried oil by the cooks Q, or by pipes in place of said cocks, leading to the steam-boiler, a pump being employed to force it into the latter against the boilerpressure. The economy is greater as the vacuum is increased,because theboiling-point of the. liquor is lower as the vacuum is increased.

I prefer a nest of pipes or tubes,D,as shown,

to a coil of pipe, becausein the same space I thus obtain a greater heating surface than with a the vacuum produced will be uniform throughcoil, anda smaller quantity of liquor is brought into contact with a greater heating-surface;v

but the difference between a nest. auda coil of pipes is simply one of degree ,of'

heating properties, and I wish it to be understood that the term ,nest includes the term coil both in my description and claim.

It will be noted thatany series of pipes NN 0 forms practically one pipe from. the interior IIO vapor-space to the vacuum-producer, and that from without it deposits therein and eventually clogs up the tubular passages. The evaporation of the liquor to dryness in its passage through the tubes, and its consequent deposit.-

therein, necessitates the removal and renewing of these tubes. This is so generally known that in many apparatuses the tubes-are so setas to be readily removed for cleansing or renewal.

For alkalies my apparatus is censtructed of iron and steel; but for other purpesesjsuch as the treatment of tannic acid or gliiethe apparatus is constructed of copper.

In my device the vacuum-pump is a vacuumproducing and condensing apparatus, and the to draw the concentrated liquor out and to pump'His asuction apparatus, and is designed exert a suctional force sufficient to overcome the resistance caused by the vacuum-producing apparatus. v

I desire it to be understood that the phrase closed pipes or closed tubes, as used in my claim, is designed to distinguish my heat-.

ing-pipes from perforated pipes, frornwhich the heating agent is allowed to escape into the body of the mass of liquid being treated.

My apparatus is not a mere separator; but is distinctively a concentrator designed to expel vapors from the mass of liquid under treat- Inent.

, tion apparatus, H", to carry off the reduced liquor, substantially as described.

2. In an evaporator, the combination, with a series of cylinders, B C, of the internal nests of closed tubes,D D, true heads D D, through which the tubes project, supplemental heads F F, leaving spaces between the true and supplemental heads, pipes or tubes opening into them adapted to convey steam from a steamboiler into said spaces and nests of tubes, liquor-pipe G, piercing the cylinder-shells and leading from the space between the true heads of one cylinder to the like space in the other, to convey liquor under treatment from one to another, vapor and air exhaust pipes N N 0, leading to a vacuum-producer, R, a pipe tosupply liquor to one cylinder, and a pipe,H, and suction apparatus H, to draw the 40 concentrated liquor from the other, substan tially as described.

JOHN. W. DIXON.

' Witnesses:

GEQRGE E. BUOKLEY, WM. H. CARSON. 

